Ruins of the Divine Foresight.
Jing Yuan, like some old janitor, hummed a strangely pleasant tune while sweeping a patch of ground clean with a broom.
Then he carried over a square table and four benches.
Feixiao and the others simply stood there, heads turning as they watched his every move, until Jing Yuan gestured with one hand, lips curved in a warm smile, and said softly:
"Sit."
Feixiao didn't care in the slightest. With stiff, straight legs she strode forward, dropping heavily onto a bench. Her abundant curves compressed against the wood as she sprawled with ease, tossing one boot up onto the seat.
"Drinking amidst the ruins of the Divine Foresight… that does have its own flavor!"
She pulled a wine gourd from her waist and poured into one of the cups Jing Yuan had set down. His eyelid twitched.
Without a word, he poured the wine onto the table, swapped the cup out for a fresh one, and filled it with tea.
That wine-tainted cup was ruined. Years of steeped tea aroma, gone—now forever tainted with alcohol.
Moze and Jiaoqiu didn't sit either, instead stepping forward to stand behind Feixiao.
Jing Yuan spoke at last.
"The situation is urgent. I won't waste time on roundabout words. General Tianji, did you discover anything this trip?"
At his words, Feixiao nodded.
"As you suspected, the Stellaron was brought in by the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, who claim themselves the people of Abundance. But I've found something else—during this period, the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus seems to have exchanged with the Vidyadhara of the Luofu."
Hearing this, the gold in Jing Yuan's eyes flickered, deep thought stirring.
"Oh?"
"Disciples of Sanctus Medicus… Vidyadhara… Lunarescent Depths… could it be—!"
BOOOOM!
The thunderous tremor split the skies. That vast, thriving tree could be seen even from the Divine Foresight's ruins.
Jing Yuan sighed. He had already guessed. Feixiao had merely confirmed, and now the truth stood undeniable.
But his sigh was not for the revived Arbor itself.
It was for the Vidyadhara, so deeply tied to the Xianzhou, making such a mistake.
"As expected… the Ambrosial Arbor revives."
"I did not imagine the Stellaron could be wielded in such a way. A trick of an Abundance Emanator? Matters only grow more tangled."
He lifted his gaze to the heavens. That black scar slashing across the entire firmament remained, un-dissipated.
"What a season of calamities."
"The Stellaron Hunters, the Astral Express, my old master's arrival…"
"And now, from all reports, two foreign Emanators have appeared on the Luofu."
The only fortunate thing—he was not the sole general of the Seven on the ship. Alone, even his divine strategies could do little.
Feixiao spoke next.
"I went to the site of that sword mark. The devastation was clearly contained. That means the Emanator who struck it is not an enemy—or at least not now."
Jing Yuan frowned.
"An Emanator who does not wish to cross the Xianzhou, yet arrives at this very moment… It's likely coincidence, unrelated to today's crisis."
"Or perhaps… they came for this photograph."
He drew a jet-black photo from his robes and set it on the table.
Feixiao's cyan eyes narrowed. She understood at once.
"Is this… one of those photos containing the secret of becoming a god?"
Jing Yuan nodded.
Moze and Jiaoqiu leaned in closer, straining to see anything in the pitch black, but found nothing.
The temptation was immense. Even Feixiao's eyes lingered.
If she could become a god, her Moonmadness was no longer a problem. She wouldn't need to chase the Hunt's arrows at all—for with that power, she could stop them from ever falling.
At last, she tore her gaze away and said:
"I didn't think the Divine Foresight's General also possessed one."
Jing Yuan chuckled.
"Merely chance. If you want it, I can give it to you."
"When the Marshal first obtained one, we seven generals attempted to strip away the darkness. We failed."
"Even with seven, the Marshal estimated at least six photos are needed to glimpse even a fragment."
If even the Xianzhou found it so… what of others? Gathering multiple Emanators together was near impossible.
And even if they did—if the secret was unveiled, how would the spoils be divided?
Better to gather more photos within the Alliance, attempt to solve it internally. But even then… each general surely nursed their own selfish hopes.
If only one could ascend, would the great ship not split apart in strife? Perhaps it was better left unsolved.
Yet… this was the secret of becoming a god.
An Emanator with dozens of photos could unravel it alone.
And so, across the universe, surely Emanators still hunted them. Someone must have learned Jing Yuan held one. That was why outsiders now came to the Luofu.
So went Jing Yuan's speculation.
Otherwise, how else to explain?
Feixiao, though tempted, shook her head. Too many missing pieces. Instead, she steered the conversation back.
"General, after returning from the Shackling Prison, I learned something. Hulei has escaped."
"But I also discovered something greater. The Emanator you thought was of Abundance… may not be."
"It may be the Lord Ravager."
Jing Yuan's mind shifted. Up until now, all had been within his predictions. But this—this was beyond.
"How so?"
Feixiao explained quickly.
"Jiaoqiu and Moze delved into the prison. Two mice saved Jiaoqiu. They almost managed to keep Hulei contained."
"But then—a Borisin disguised as a Foxian unleashed powers of Destruction, sealed everyone briefly, and carried Hulei off."
"And there was Judge Huohuo. The Yaoshi attached to her recognized the same aura in that Borisin. From this, I am ninety percent certain: the Emanator is of Destruction."
"Most likely—the true body of a Yaoshi. Phantylia."
Jing Yuan fell silent.
Yes. This too made sense. To use a Stellaron to awaken the Arbor… both an Abundance Emanator and a Destruction Emanator could manage it.
And among the Yaoshi, none could hide better than the Lord Ravager.
The time was nearly upon him. Fu Xuan's interrogation of the Stellaron Hunters would yield more. He needed to speak with her, share intelligence—raise her up quickly.
The burden of generalship was too heavy. The sooner Fu Xuan could be trained, the sooner he could retire.
...
Divination Commission.
Kafka hung in the sky, bound by the Scrying Array, speaking with Stelle. Her graceful voice spilled gently:
"Oh? I've watched long enough to notice. That cat named Tom, and Yevenko… neither have appeared at your side once."
"What's the meaning of this?"
Stelle shook their head calmly.
But March 7th crossed her arms, huffing.
"Hmph! Why should we tell you?"
"So even Stellaron Hunters don't know everything."
She had disliked Kafka from the start. The woman radiated danger. And she had once hijacked their comms, projecting herself onto the Express.
Silver Wolf, at least, had left behind an arcade machine. That counted as a gift.
Kafka, seeing their reactions, nodded thoughtfully.
"So, you've split up then."
Better that way. Without the cat and the mouse, their actions would be far smoother. Every time those two appeared, chaos followed.
Stelle opened their mouth to ask more—about her own shrouded origins—but Kafka silenced them with a shake of her head.
"Wait. The time has come."
A faint tremor began. Kafka turned her gaze toward the Arbor, already expecting it.
"Oh… it begins."
The tremors grew, the ground rolling like an ocean. Stelle, following her gaze, looked too—
And saw the withered divine tree burst to life, swelling with luminous yellow buds.
Even not knowing what it meant, March 7th and Stelle were awed by the tidal surge of power.
Kafka calmly broke free of her bindings and strolled away.
Stelle noticed instantly, abandoning the Arbor to dash after her.
But then—
Blade appeared in a blur, landing before Kafka, blood-red sword in hand, his gaze cold and flat, aimed directly at Stelle.
March 7th cried out:
"Eek! It's that guy who showed up on the train—the one with the giant horns! Where are your three horns now?"
At those words, Blade's stoic face cracked. His sword-tip dipped.
The "horns"… that was supposed to be a secret. After imprisonment in the Shackling Prison, he had thought none knew. Only a few guards, only Jing Yuan and Yanqing.
He had even been grateful—unlike Jing Yuan's black circles, his "horned" look was ridiculous, but unseen by most.
So how—how did the Nameless from the Astral Express know?!
He glanced at Kafka.
She kept her eyes forward, pretending not to notice, but the faint curve of her lips betrayed her smile.
She walked on.
"Come, Blade."
"We have two more places to go."
With that, she leapt away. Blade followed.
Not far off, Tingyun watched the Arbor's revival, her emerald eyes blazing.
Her lips stretched into a smile so wide it nearly reached her ears, grotesque.
"Marvelous! Marvelous!"
"This vast flesh, this endless power of Abundance… the body I have dreamed of!"
"Ahh~"
She exhaled in pleasure, eyes half-lidded.
"I can hardly wait to enter this shell. This weak husk disgusts me."
"Let the destruction of the Luofu herald my name, my arrival—"
"Let us offer the death of the Hunt to Nanook!"
But then her eyes caught something. Two little mice, scampering toward the Arbor. And behind them—a cat in pursuit.
Her gaze twisted with hatred.
"Damnable cat and mice. Again and again you ruin my plans. Once I take the Arbor's body, I'll erase you utterly!"
...
Meanwhile, Tom was still dueling Jingliu.
The more they fought, the more exhilarated Tom became.
And Jingliu—her heart sank lower with every exchange. Her sword was being forced back. Given time, her defeat was certain.
Returning to the Luofu… only to find herself outmatched by a cat.
Just then—Jerry burst from a mouse hole. Looking left and right, he spotted Tom fencing.
And Yevenko, perched on Tom's head.
Jerry dove back into the hole, rummaging frantically, tossing out random junk until he found—a branding iron.
He lit a match, heating the tip to glowing red, then scampered over to Tom's backside.
With a quick strike—he branded Tom's butt.
The heat singed fur, smoke curling.
Tom froze mid-duel. He held up a paw to Jingliu in a "time out."
Sniff, sniff.
A whiff of smoky meat scent drifted into his nose. His eyes sparkled. Tongue lolling, he smacked his lips.
The scent came from behind. He turned. Still behind. He turned again. Still behind.
So he spun and spun like a whirlwind, dizzy, panting, scratching his head—unable to find it.
At last, even the smoke itself seemed impatient. Its front twisted into a hand.
SMACK!
It slapped Tom across the face, then pointed down.
Tom bent himself into a perfect circle like an ouroboros—finally spotting the source.
His eyes bulged. He shrieked.
"AAAAHHHH—!!!"
Clutching his burning butt, he rocketed skyward, vanishing from sight.
Yevenko tumbled off, caught quickly by Jerry.
Moments later, Tom crashed back down. But the fire still blazed. He sprinted in circles, howling:
"YOWWW! YOWWW! YOW↑!!"
Panicked, he stripped off his fur like a suit, revealing a white undershirt and blue-striped boxers beneath. He beat the fur costume on the ground, but the flames spread faster.
Jerry rolled in a barrel labeled "Water (Oil)," pointing eagerly.
Tom's eyes lit up. Grinning, he dunked his fur.
FOOM!
Flames exploded higher, consuming fur and body alike until nothing remained but two blinking eyes.
A breeze blew—and even they turned to ash.
But the next instant, Tom returned whole, wielding a flyswatter, charging straight at Jerry.
Jerry, clutching Yevenko, bolted.
Tom ripped a square from the flyswatter's mesh, ensuring Yevenko remained safe in the gap, then smacked furiously at Jerry.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
Sharp blows rained down, Jerry squashed flat each time, only to spring back whole, fleeing still.
Cat and mice, a frenzied chase—leaving Jingliu bewildered, frozen in place.
Soon Jerry reached a cliff's edge, nowhere left to run. Below lay only swirling clouds, bottomless.
Tom charged closer. Jerry swallowed hard.
His eyes darted, landing on the colossal Arbor.
Fixing on it, a dotted line stretched from his gaze straight to the tree.
Jerry grabbed Yevenko, bolted onto the line, and raced toward the Arbor.
Tom too spotted the tree. Scratching his head, a bad feeling gnawed at him.
But the urge to catch Jerry won.
He leapt onto the line as well, sprinting after them toward the Arbor.